Nate Dogg, Warren G and Snoop Dogg collaborated in a group called 213, a reference to both the Los Angeles area code and 21st Street in Long Beach, the city where the three grew up. Warren G introduced the group to his stepbrother, Dr. Dre, who enlisted all three to work on his seminal album "The Chronic" in 1992.

Snoop Dogg was the first of the trio to break out as a solo artist, and the three performed together on his debut album, "Doggystyle" in 1993.

But Nate Dogg and Warren G dropped their own hit, "Regulate" the next year. Together they pushed a style of music they called "G-Funk" — a smooth, bass-heavy blend of hip-hop and R&B.

"Regulate," the story of a night out in Long Beach that includes Warren G being attacked in a dice game, Nate Dogg coming to his aid, and the eventual rescue of some stranded women the pair whisk off to the East Side Motel, perfectly represents the smooth mix of fun, violence, wit, sex and street cred in what the artists called "The G-Funk Era" of the early 90s.

But not all of his crime stories were fictional: He was arrested by a SWAT team in 2000 on charges of terrorist threats, arson, and domestic violence after he was accused of holding an ex-girlfriend against her will, assaulting her, and setting her mother's car on fire. He was arrested again and charged with making terrorist threats and driving with a suspended license in 2008. He was accused at the time of a car chase after his estranged wife on the 405 freeway.